At Mount Sinai, the Children of Israel were “ke’ish echad b’lev echad” “like one people with one heart.” This is the ancient rabbinic phrase used to explain the oddly placed singular grammar of the Jew’s encampment at the base of the mountain. The impact of these words are revealed by the 20th century ethicist Rabbi Chaim Shmuelevitz. Rabbi Shmuelevitz explains that this description teaches us that there can be no kabbalas hatorah, no revelation, without unity. Revelation manifests itself in many ways. It is not only the Torah that we learn. Revelation is also, in a sense, abundance. Positive and long lasting abundance in our lives can only come to us if it comes from a place of unity and love. If our success happens out of misery and anger and other negative emotions it is not real revelation; it isn’t true abundance. The beauty of the Torah is that it is a commodity which knows no boundaries. The more Torah you share, the more there is for everybody else. Sinai didn’t need to be a big mountain, with unity there is plenty of room.
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